Natural Wood Tiny Houses

It all started with an organization project for my husband. (Yes, he asked me!) I was slicing off 3/4" of an old 4 x4 to help create tiered drill bit storage and I noticed the beautiful wood grain. I knew then and there that I was saving this 2 foot section of lumber. It had the makings of some tiny houses!

This project is based on inspirations I have seen on Pinterest. In fact, I so love tiny houses I have a board dedicated just to them. And I am not alone. There are scores of pinners out there that collect tiny house inspirations.

Below is my original pin which inspired my houses. These are simple house candle sticks available from Ladies and Gentlemen here. But it was the incredible wood grain that made me pin them.

Below is another pin fom my collection from Basic Label Sweden here. I loved the simplicity of form.

So I combined the two ideas - simple form and beautiful wood grain into a series of tiny houses.

 Simple and easy to do if you have access to a basic woodshop. Here are a few photos of the process.

I started by slicing some slabs off the end of the 4 x4. They were from 3/4" - 2" thick. I didn't measue but made them random thicknesses.

Using a ruler and pencil I drew precise house shapes onto them, went back to the band saw and cut them out.

I then sanded all sides smooth on a belt sander. It was important to sand with the grain to emphasize the wood grain lines.

The end result is a collection of simple houses with stunning wood grain to be displayed in any number of nooks and crannies in our home.

If you are interested in tiny houses check out and follow my Pinterst Board titled Little Houses here. It is chock full of many tiny houses in a huge variety of materials and complexity.

Previous Posts of Interest:

• Wood Slice Wall Art
• Variations on Wood Slice Flowers
• Wooden Rocks?
• Flexible Wooden Tote

©2013 AshbeeDesign, Marji Roy

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Flexible Wooden Tote? Gorgeous!

I am up to my ears in sawdust because I am working on a new DIY furniture project and it will take several days of work. While that is progressing here is something beautiful via Swiss Miss.

via Swiss-Miss

How perfect are these bags for a lady that loves wood? They are made in Japan out of a thin layer of wood that has been treated with a resin. It makes the wood flexible and weather resistant. Unfortunately, they are not available in the USA but if you are one of my European readers you can get them online here. They also make placemats and coasters out of the same material. I could sure use some of it for many different craft projects.

Previous posts of interest:

• Wooden Lunch Box
• Wooden Bow
• Wild and Crazy Lamp
• I Heart This Design
• Wooden Rocks

©2013AshbeeDesign, Marji Roy

Beautiful Objects • Tape Dispenser

Yesterday I saw this inspiring design and had to stop and research it futher. It is a concept for a new approach to the standard tape dispenser and it is a beauty. I would give this functional sculpture a prominent place on my desk top!

Source: Matt Pacione

Source: Matt Pacione

These are designed by Matt Pacione, a Canadian industrial designer and recent design school graduate. I love the twist and angle. Matt won a 3M design contest back in 2009 and this dispenser was to be produced. I haven't found it anywhere. Anyone know where to get one?

Previous Posts of Interest

• Whimsey • Re-turned Penguins
• Wooden Rocks?
• Perfect Present • Wooden Bow
• Desktop Beauties

©2012 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Creating that Home Feeling

There is no doubt about it - the most important things in creating a home have absolutely nothing to do with décor. That said, there are definite things one can do to give a house that homey feeling, a place with roots, warm and comfortable using décor. One of the methods I use is through using and displaying handcrafted heirlooms. I don't mean anyone's heirlooms but the treasures crafted by members of my family. These items are unique, sometimes beautiful, sometimes funky, but all have memories attached.

I was exploring in Etsy the other day and I came upon a site selling handcrafted witch hazel brooms. That is what got this series rolling. I too have a witch hazel broom. It was one of many made by my Dad years ago and it graced the hearth in my childhood home for many years. It now has a home on the hearth in our family room.

Witch Hazel brooms are hand carved from a single piece of wood. Each wood fiber is peeled back and then reversed down to create the broom. The broom end in place, curled down with a leather strap.

My Dad used witch hazel but others have used yellow birch or even white oak. Follow this link for some very basic directions and information about the process of creating this type of broom.

This particular broom also has a hand whittled ball trapped inside a cage at the handle end. That type of whittling is always fascinating especially to children, takes time and patience.

JasperJane out of Maine has the Etsy shop Out of the Woods with Witch Hazel brooms. They started my thinking about the many wonderful little things I own that are from the folks that helped inspire creativity in me.  Thanks, Dad!

Via Jasper Jane

Previous Posts of Interest

• Heritage Inspirations
• A tradition • DIY Family Calendar
• Christmas Traditions • When do You Change Them?

©2012 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Look Whooo is Here!

I just noticed I have a whole forest of owls appearing in my Pinterest boards.  Must be because there are so many terrific items using this creature as a design inspiration. Check these out.

Via: Pinterest • Source: OMG Posters

via:Pinterest • source: Cyan Design

via: • source:YLiving

via: April and May Studio • source: Menu • Designer: Andreas Engesvik (NO)

via: • source: The Artful Home • artist: Chris Stiles

Could be easy to start another collection when one discovers all these wonderful designs. i need a bigger house!

©2012 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Summer Sand

Israeli designer, Leetal Rivlin has created a line of bowls by combining sand and an adhesive. I love the dynamic feel of the dripping sand inverted to form the bowl.

source - Leetal Rivlin • via - Designboom • photo credit - David Tal

But I am really looking at them wondering what is in my collection of craft supplies that would allow me to experiment with this concept. ModPodge?

source - Leetal Rivlin • via - Designboom • photo credit - David Tal

Great summer time project! Great bowl for a beach themed tablescape but also perfect filled with potato chips as well. I think I need to do some playing around for sure.

These are available for purchase by contacting the designer via email here.

©2012 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Wooden Case

This is a beauty!

Source • via

Woodspy One by Haydanhuya

Previous Posts of Interest

• Whimsey - re-turned Penguins
• Wooden Rocks?
• Perfect Present • Wooden Bow
• Desktop Beauties

©2012 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Whimsey- Re-turned Penguins

I have spent most of today working on our taxes - personal and two businesses. No DIY, no design and (almost) no Pinterest! For my post I will share with you something that made me smile because my taxes sure didn't! Check out these wonderful penguins.

source • via

These little guys are filled with personality. They are crafted from reclaimed wood that has been layer together in such a way as to identify bird body parts when turned. I became aware of these cute dudes on The Designer Pad, a blog I've bookmarked and follow. They are created by Beller of Norway.

Hope they made you smile as well! 

Back to the taxes.

Previous Posts of Interest

• Wooden Rocks?
• Perfect Present • Wooden Bow
• Desktop Beauties

©2012 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

January is Organizing Month

There is no getting around it. For those of us with "organization skills" that border on OCD tendencies, January is an exciting time. It is acceptable to start rearranging, categorizing, lining things up. So today I start with a series of ideas that fall into this realm. I found a new site that I sincerely hope is still active because I just found it. I was led to it by seeing these whimsical paper bag interpretations.

I love them! I wondered what they were made of and how I could get a set. The digital trail led to a German site,  Stilsucht and after working with Google Translator I learned they are made of a mixture of cellulose and silicone and available in a large number of colors from Ordnungstüten (Although all I found was Natur, Grau, Schwarz, and Weib which must be natural, gray, black and white.)

But of even greater interest - By following the links I found the site Storage Glee with the tagline of "In Defense of Artful Storage".  It is a site filled with creative storage ideas.

I hope the author is still publishing new content. The last post was from Nov. 21st with no year noted. I love much of the content. (Although sorting books by color does nothing for my sense of organization. Good organization is much, much more than the visual impact!) Spend sometime looking at the back posts - lots of wonderful things! 

Go forth and explore!

Previous Posts of Interest:

• Kitchen Storage• A New DIY Solution
• I Always Save....
• Spice Storage Solution
• Extra Kitchen Storage

©2012 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Whimsical Clock

2012 is winding down. It is a Friday. Tomorrow is New Years Eve. This clock (currently being showcased in New Designs in CB2) sums up how I feel about time today!

I am always on the prowl for the perfect clock.  I'd love this one in my office!

Previous Posts of Interest:

• It's About Time
• Sunshine! Sunburst Clocks!
• Desktop Beauties

©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Beautiful Bowls

Check out the off center design of these fruit bowls....

It is a visually exciting combination of wooden base with a brightly colored bowl. I first saw this link on Design Milk and have tried to follow the link there to La Mamba, the company credited with the deign. I can't find it at all. Design Milk notes it is from the Omlette-ed product line. I wanted to know if the top is a plastic top wrapped in a funnel shape. Sure does look like but I can't seem to locate the information.  Doesn't keep me from loving the design though.

Previous Posts of Interest

• Making a Splash!
• Odds 'n Ends • Balloons
• Origami and Ceramics
• Creases and Crinkles

©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Odds 'n Ends • Coffee Filter?

Today I am starting a new occasional series titled "Odds 'n Ends". Here I will share with you the various interesting items that cross my screen worthy of remembering but don't necessarily fit into one of my series. (Or fit perfectly into one I have recently covered!)

This one made me smile!

I saw this advertised on fab.com and needed to explore further. Wow, a huge coffee filter! I loved the concept of altering scale to modify function.  What a whimsical planter.  Not to mention a great entertaining resource......

Or a puppy bed!

These are from the Dutch design studio Beerd van Stokkum. They see these containers as large cupcake holders which is certainly a better marketing direction than coffee filters! The first one that I saw was white so I thought, "coffee filter". I have previously posted a series on using scale in decor and design.

They have several other interesting designs as well.  Here is a shelf called Granny. Love the lace!

They have also created a series of embellishments that can be painted and easily applied to walls or ceilings. There are many creative applications pictured at their site.

Other posts about size and scale that might interest you:

• More Scale Fun
• Truly Big
• Some Fun Size Finds
• More Fun With Size
• Size Matters

©2011, Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

It's About time

I am still searching for the perfect clock for my kitchen. Requirements include:

• Must be analog
• Contemporary in styling
• Easy to tell time down to the minute
• Wood is a plus- cherry a huge plus

This one was in a post on Apartment Therapy.  It has potential. But maple not cherry.

It is from the RAW design collection by Stanley Ruiz and is available for purchase here.

Previous Posts of Interest:

• Sunshine! Sunburst Clocks!
• Perfect Present - Wooden Bow
• Desktop Beauties

©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Making a Splash!

What could be better on a summer Friday than a great decor item.  I love this whimsical yet very functional bowl.

From the Danish designer Henriette Melchiorsen, it is made of rubbery silicon and available from Uncommongoods. Love that online store as well!

Previous Posts of Interest

• Fab.com
• Origami and Ceramics
• Creases and Crinkles

©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

I found these beautifully shaped glass bottles at Home Decorators.com.

I love their funky shapes - a little lumpy - almost still molten. I especially like the ocean blue but they are available in a variety of colors.

Other Posts of Interest:

• Fab.com
• Origami and Ceramics
• More Pear Possibilities

©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Wanderings • Restoration Hardware

I don't shop much but yesterday my husband's computer died and we need to make a trip to the Apple Store. Restoration Hardware is three doors down so I stopped in and OH MY!  It has been totally redone in a gray pallet and was stunning.  I was mesmerized by many of the accessories and took pictures of a few to share.

Generally speaking things at Restoration Hardware are oversized and my home isn't. So many of their things are beautiful but physically would never fit in my space. A stop there is for inspiration. And as I look at the above photos I see themes I already use in my home. Feathers have always been a collection of mine, as have spheres, and maps including globes. The one I have never used (unless you count the stack of my husband's stored on my pear!) is hats. Reminds me of a wonderful B&B we stayed at years ago in Limerick, PA. Each room was decorated with a different fashion item theme and ours was filled with hats. Another was shoes and another purses. Much too busy to live with but hugely entertaining to visit.

Here I am hamming it up with daughter Karen back in 2003. The B&B is no longer there or I would provide a link.  It was a special place to visit.

©2011Ashbee Design, Marji Roy